The second story is How the Sheriff Was Won by Anne Gracie. I bought this Duets specifically for this story. I was so impressed with the Gracie historicals released this spring, that I was eagerly awaiting her next effort. I didn’t like this story as much as I liked Gallant Waif and Tallie’s Knight, but it did have its moments.
How The Sheriff Was Won, like its Duets companion, takes place in the West, this time in Montana. The heroine is again a writer. Jassie McQuilty has inherited the small local paper in Bear Claw, Montana from a great-uncle she never met. The terms of the will require her to stay in the town and publish the newspaper for one year before she can sell it. Jassie assumes this will be frightfully boring, and decides to embark on a fling to liven up what is sure to be a dull year. Unfortunately, she’s not really the fling type, but when Jassie meets sexy Sheriff John T. Stone, she decides now is the time to learn the fine art of flinging.
The set up of this story is a bit contrived -the will with odd stipulations simply doesn’t work for me in a modern tale. Also, I also couldn’t decide whether or not I liked the heroine. I didn’t like that she threw herself at the sheriff constantly, using every feminine wile at her disposal. She ended off coming across as pushy and even a bit strange. I was actually embarrassed for her on several occasions. But there were other aspects of Jassie’s personality that I enjoyed. I liked what she did with the local newspaper, and when she wasn’t thinking about how her next plan to hurl herself at the sheriff, I thought she seemed quite intelligent. John T. was far less defined as a character. He’s likable, but not too memorable.
What saved the story from merely being average was the quirky humor. I never laughed out loud, but I did crack a smile many times. Jassie had kind of a goofy way of looking at things that was delightfully comic. I enjoyed her perspective.
So, How the Sheriff Was Won ended up being a pleasant enough book to spend an evening reading. Of the three Gracie books released in the US this year, I enjoyed Tallie’s Knight the best and this one the least. Still this slight book did make me smile more than once, which makes it oh-so-slightly a cut above.
Grade: C+
Book Type: Series Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Publication Date: 2001/09
Recent Comments …
I agree with this, exactly. The inaccuracies in the review are what spurred me to comment initially.
Personal impression is subjective. What works for one person doesn’t always work for others, as we all know. However, when…
I found both romantic leads in this book to be over the top. And, still, I enjoyed their story. It’s…
That consoles me. I mean, the line of humor and taste is impossible to really draw for all, so I…
I do not believe–and I have read the book–that our reviewer was factually incorrect. The issue here is one of…
I appreciate your comments, I find their tone completely in line with the tone of the review itself, not an…